{"id":80541,"date":"2026-06-12T07:06:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T11:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/southern-baptists-move-toward-formal-ban-on-female-pastors\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T07:06:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T11:06:41","slug":"southern-baptists-move-toward-formal-ban-on-female-pastors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/southern-baptists-move-toward-formal-ban-on-female-pastors\/","title":{"rendered":"Southern Baptists Move Toward Formal Ban on Female Pastors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

Members of the Southern Baptist Convention have decisively supported moving forward with a constitutional amendment that would formally prohibit churches led by female pastors from remaining in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.<\/p>

The decision came during the SBC’s annual gathering in Orlando this week, where the proposal received far more than the required two-thirds majority needed to advance constitutional changes. The amendment reinforces the position that only men should serve as pastors leading congregations.<\/p>

To become official policy, the proposed ban must receive similar approval when Southern Baptists meet again next year. If passed, the amendment would strengthen current restrictions already in place within the SBC, which maintains a faith statement that opposes women serving as pastors.<\/p>

In other religious news, an Italian court has made a groundbreaking ruling that recognizes a family structure involving one mother and two fathers caring for a four-year-old child. The case involves two married men from Germany and a woman who acted as their surrogate. While such arrangements are permitted under German law, this Italian decision marks the first time the country has legally acknowledged this type of family configuration, potentially setting a precedent that could influence policy across Europe. Many European Union nations have yet to legalize same-sex marriage, making polyamorous recognition even more complex.<\/p>

Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s recent updates to its religious classification system have sparked renewed discussion about whether The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints qualifies as a Christian denomination. Members of the Mormon faith consider themselves Christian, though some of their fundamental beliefs, especially regarding the Trinity, differ from traditional Christian doctrine. Utah Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis, both Republicans and members of the Mormon faith, are questioning the Pentagon’s decision to exclude their religion from its Christian categories. Military officials say they have removed nearly 200 faith systems from their recognized religions list but emphasize the new criteria are not intended to challenge the validity of any religious belief system.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Southern Baptist Convention has voted decisively to advance a constitutional amendment that would formally prohibit churches with women pastors from the denomination. The measure needs approval at next year’s annual meeting to become final policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":80540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[835],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-religious"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781262400474.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-kX3","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":79580,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/southern-baptist-convention-moves-closer-to-formal-women-pastor-ban\/","url_meta":{"origin":80541,"position":0},"title":"Southern Baptist Convention Moves Closer to Formal Women Pastor Ban","author":"Admin","date":"June 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Southern Baptist Convention voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to advance a constitutional amendment that would formally prohibit churches with women pastors from membership. The measure passed by a 3-to-1 margin and needs similar approval next year to become part of the denomination's constitution.","rel":"","context":"In "Religious"","block_context":{"text":"Religious","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/religious\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781116798498.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781116798498.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781116798498.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781116798498.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":78888,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/southern-baptist-leaders-set-to-vote-on-formal-ban-of-female-pastors\/","url_meta":{"origin":80541,"position":1},"title":"Southern Baptist Leaders Set to Vote on Formal Ban of Female Pastors","author":"Admin","date":"June 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Representatives from the Southern Baptist Convention are gathering in Orlando to vote on a constitutional amendment that would officially prohibit churches with female pastors from remaining in the denomination. The proposed change requires approval in two consecutive years and has failed to gain the necessary two-thirds majority over the past\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Religious"","block_context":{"text":"Religious","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/religious\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781013990505.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781013990505.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781013990505.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781013990505.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":77160,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/southern-baptists-to-vote-again-on-stricter-ban-of-women-in-pastoral-roles\/","url_meta":{"origin":80541,"position":2},"title":"Southern Baptists to Vote Again on Stricter Ban of Women in Pastoral Roles","author":"Admin","date":"June 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Southern Baptist Convention representatives will gather in Florida this week to debate for the fourth consecutive year whether to formally prohibit churches from having women serve in any pastoral capacity. The proposed constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority to pass, which previous attempts have failed to achieve.","rel":"","context":"In "Religious"","block_context":{"text":"Religious","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/religious\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780659508069.jpg?fit=1000%2C698&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780659508069.jpg?fit=1000%2C698&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780659508069.jpg?fit=1000%2C698&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780659508069.jpg?fit=1000%2C698&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":78281,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/southern-baptists-meet-in-orlando-nigerian-court-sentences-church-attackers\/","url_meta":{"origin":80541,"position":3},"title":"Southern Baptists Meet in Orlando; Nigerian Court Sentences Church Attackers","author":"Admin","date":"June 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Southern Baptist delegates will convene in Orlando this week to address several contentious issues, including a fourth consecutive debate over banning female pastors. Meanwhile, a Nigerian federal court has sentenced four radical Muslim gunmen to death for a 2022 church attack that killed at least 50 people.","rel":"","context":"In "Religious"","block_context":{"text":"Religious","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/religious\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780915883938.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780915883938.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780915883938.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780915883938.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780915883938.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62289,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/baptist-denomination-sees-mixed-results-membership-drops-to-50-year-low-despite-growth\/","url_meta":{"origin":80541,"position":4},"title":"Baptist Denomination Sees Mixed Results: Membership Drops to 50-Year Low Despite Growth","author":"Admin","date":"May 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Southern Baptist Convention reported its membership declined to the lowest point since 1973, dropping 3% to 12.3 million members. However, the nation's largest Protestant denomination experienced positive growth in church attendance and baptisms for the second consecutive year.","rel":"","context":"In "Religious"","block_context":{"text":"Religious","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/religious\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778018902607.jpg?fit=1000%2C651&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778018902607.jpg?fit=1000%2C651&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778018902607.jpg?fit=1000%2C651&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778018902607.jpg?fit=1000%2C651&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27845,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/baptist-history-shapes-modern-religious-freedom-fight-louisiana-school-display-approved\/","url_meta":{"origin":80541,"position":5},"title":"Baptist History Shapes Modern Religious Freedom Fight, Louisiana School Display Approved","author":"Admin","date":"February 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A California professor explains how Baptist persecution in colonial America drives today's religious liberty advocacy. Meanwhile, Louisiana wins a court battle to display the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.","rel":"","context":"In "Religious"","block_context":{"text":"Religious","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/religious\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772113613109.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772113613109.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772113613109.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772113613109.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772113613109.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}